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Attack on Caspian's Castle
Cloaked in a cloud of mist created by Xar's water elemental, the Party begins staking out the manor where Raz has been taken captive. The two-story manor is supported with elaborate buttresses and covered in grotesque statues. The windows are clouded with filth or blacked out entirely. Wary of undead that might be lurking inside, the Party has infused the elemental mist with holy water and let it waft into the building. Zazu Blue attempts to open the front gate using Bug, but the doors are firmly locked. After investigating the perimeter, the party decides to enter through a window. Zazu turns into a gooey liquid and slides through a crack, opening the window for the rest of the party to enter. At the same time, Bug shatters a window on the other side of the manor. The distraction draws the attention of Aegor, a hunchbacked dwarf. The group tries to hide as Aegor smashes Bug to pieces and begins searching. He quickly locates them as they hide poorly amongst the manor’s ornate furniture. The Party prepares to attack, but Aegor greets them as expected albeit somewhat rude guests. He informs them that his master knows of their exploits and has a proposition to offer them. Aegor leads the group into a huge dining hall filled with guests including a tiefling warlock and a hulking minotaur clad in full battle armor. As they pass through, the group can tell that at least a few of these people are vampires or their undead servants. At the rear of the room is a large dining table where a finely-dressed young woman and a large man with an axe are sitting. These guests of honor are the children of Kaspian, the vampiric lord of the manor, who sits on a throne in an alcove behind the tables. Kaspian snaps his fingers, silencing his guests and summoning a wall of rats that seals off the ballroom’s entrance. Kaspian then addresses the party, informing them that he has been monitoring their activities. He’s been impressed with their strength and ruthlessness in dealing with the cults of Juiblex and Zuggtmoy that have dominated the region since the End. He explains that he is forming an alliance of powerful creatures to eliminate the demons from Qatra and unite the region under his leadership, starting with Cyber City. The Party’s role will be to pacify the people of the city and transform it into a pasture where the vampires might feed at their leisure. After completing this task, they will become officers in Kaspian’s forces and lead the charge against the demonic presence. The Party is immediately skeptical of Kaspian’s offer, but entertain it for some time. They first insist that Raz be released from the manor in exchange for another maiden from the village. Kaspian seems to agree, ordering Raz to be brought forward. However, the lizardfolk alchemist is not herself. Her eyes are glassed over and she blankly insists that she wishes to remain in the manor. Though the Party is disturbed by this, they ultimately agree to Kaspian’s plan and begin to leave. They’re stopped when Kaspian reveals one more condition for cooperation: one member of the Party must become a vampire to prove their loyalty. The Party is aghast and Don Bon nearly begins attacking, but Bavin Dreamroot steps forward to accept this fate. Just as Kaspian’s daughter is about to bite him, however, Bavin grabs her and holds a stake to her heart. To his horror, Bavin sees Kaspian nod to his daughter in recognition that she is to be sacrificed as he prepares to attack Bavin. Seeing that his hostage doesn’t provide much leverage, Bavin gives up and agrees to be turned. Kaspian is impressed with Bavin’s courage and agrees to bite him himself. Though Bavin knows that his god will be disgusted with his actions, he allows Kaspian to transform him into a vampire. As a gift to the newly-turned Bavin, Kaspian offers up Raz as a servant. After Bavin awakens, the Party prepares to leave the manor once again. Zazu Blue takes this opportunity to slither through a doorway into a side chamber. Inside he notices all manner of torture devices and a goblin actively torturing a bound-up, bloated human. He rejoins the group and they head for the exit. This time, however, Don Bon stops in the entrance. He hurls insults at the gathered monsters and unleashes a magical storm of hail. He transforms into a polar bear and rushes directly for Kaspian. Frozen rain and slush fill in the dining hall and the gathered creatures howl in rage as they attack the Party. The wildshaped Don Bon leaps onto a table and mauls Kaspian, hurting the vampire but not nearly enough to prevent a devastating counterattack. Kaspian’s son reveals himself as a werewolf and transforms to attack Don. Kaspian’s daughter also attacks, knocking Don Bon out on the table. By now, Zazu Blue and Max Dosage have fled the scene with Raz, but Bavin Dreamroot uses his new vampiric powers to climb the walls of the room and make his way to Don Bon’s body. He proposes as solution to Kaspian: allow Bavin to transform Don into his vampiric servant so that he might control his outbursts in the future. Amused, Kaspian allows Bavin to feed for the first time on the blood of his friend. Don Bon rises from his unconscious state as a vampire bound to Bavin’s wishes. Kaspian orders his guests to return to their chambers and they sulk off, freezing and wet from the unexpected hail storm. Don Bon and Bavin Dreamroot rendezvous with the rest of the Party at Pipsqueak’s water elemental. They discuss their plans going forward, none of which involve working with Kaspian and his cronies. The sun begins to rise, so they are forced to hurry back to Cyber City before their newly vampiric members burn in its rays. Upon entering town, they swiftly head to Pip’s old inventory to scrounge up some coffins for Don and Bavin. The vampires rest in the coffins while the others begin spreading the news of Kaspian’s threat in town. At first, few villagers are interested in joining the fight. Many hastilty begin packing their belongings, resigned to return to the nomadic lives they lived before coming to Cyber City. The Party is frustrated and angry at their response, but Rulf appears to calm the crowd. Still visibly burned from his actions during the demonic attack on the town just days before, Rulf calls for the village to stay and fight. Rolf’s words prove inspiring and the town sets to work preparing for an attack on Kaspian’s manor. Sharn, Gregory, Gol, and Dweezil begin outfitting themselves to participate directly in the assault. Rolf and Raz find a safe place for residents to hide in case the attack spills back into the village. Xalvador provides the most essential support, producing the seeds and ashes of the treeant that was burned during the earlier attack on the village. Xalvador, Zazu, and Don magically spur the seeds to grow rapidly, creating a new treeant. Max’s expertise in carpentry, Bavin’s metalworking, and a brilliant invention from Zazu allow the Party to equip the treeant with a wooden chamber that allows Don and Bavin to control its movements while remaining out of the sunlight. Zazu and Max also expertly concoct a recipe for a flame-resistant salve they plan to apply to the treeant, but accidentally make a potion of burning instead. The Party needs one more thing before commencing the attack, however: running water, which burns vampires like acid. Xalvador has a plan to get running water, but it will require him to summon a tidal wave from the northern bay, risking the ship the Party has spent so long trying to construct. Don Bon convinces some local seaweed to help support the ship and Xalvador volunteers to remain onboard to protect it during the spell. With preparations complete, the Party launches the attack. The assault on Kaspian’s manner begins with Zazu Blue hurling his failed potion of fire protection at the entrance. It erupts into flames, drawing the attention of all inside. The treeant then brings down a huge section of wall, allowing sunlight and the Party’s forces to enter. Since it is the middle of the day, the vampires inside are asleep in their coffins. The non-vampires are more than prepared to fight, however, and charge at the breach. The armored minotaur is the first to attack, crushing Gregory beneath his maul. Dweezil rushes over to his brother to help, but in his panic ends up fatally wounding Gregory while trying to revive him. The Party makes their way through the breach, killing the minotaur and engaging with the rest of Kaspian’s forces. By this point, the vampires in the building have noticed the chaos and made their way into the main hall. Just as they prepare to engage the party, however, Xalvador’s tidal wave comes rushing into the manor. The floor is flooded in rapidly rising water, forcing the vampires to leap onto tables and climb walls to avoid it. This holds them back long enough for the Party to beat back the remaining forces. Max Dosages unleashes a firestorm while Zazu hurls acid daggers at his foes. Inside the treeant chamber, Don Bon delights in smashing up the manner and crushing foes. As the vampires slowly advance on the party, Bavin Dreamroot creeps out of the treeant chamber. Using his claws, he pulls an unconscious Aegor to the ceiling and transforms him into his second vampiric servant. The vampires finally engage the Party, but are little match for them with the flowing water beneath their feet. The Party knocks them from walls and Zazu pins several to the floor in a gooey net made from his own slime-covered skin. Just before his death, Kaspian begs the Party for mercy. He orders his lieutenants, including his children, to fall into the rushing water to their deaths and promises to reveal valuable secrets if left alive. The Party agrees, binding him in Dimensional Shackles before tending to their wounds.